Wednesday, March 29, 2000

In addition, PTA is in pre-production on Fiona's latest video, "Paper Bag" which should begin shooting next week. Paul promises that it will be "a really special video". Hopefully they will decide to release a Fiona DVD Collection sometime later this year.

Finally to wrap up the music video news, it doesn't look like there will be a video for "Wise Up". Originally, I had heard there were plans to release the video using existing footage from the film. It sounds like those plans are off for now. I will post any updates to this as soon as I hear them.

Monday, March 27, 2000

I'm sure you all know by now that Magnolia came up empty at the Academy Awards last night (Didn't Julianne Moore look stunning!). It was nice to see Aimee Mann perform "Save Me" live & it was great to see PTA's facial reaction to Alan Ball winning Best Original Screenplay for American Beauty. His exaggerated surprise was in good fun, as he knew that Alan appeared to be a lock for the award

Sunday, March 19, 2000

Last night I had the opportunity to see Fiona Apple live in my hometown of Seattle. She put on an incredible show as she alternated between center stage and sitting down & playing the piano. Two of her band members were from Seattle, so there were many friends and relatives in the audience. PTA was on hand to see her as he moved from backstage to stage left during "Fast as You Can".

After the show, I had a chance to speak with PTA for a few minutes & catch up on the latest happenings. Here's a brief rundown:

6th Annual From Concept to Sale Conference: PTA was there to answer questions from attendees after the screening of Hard Eight (which was incidentally shown on DVD).

Saturday Night Live : PTA will be contributing to additional shows as he has made good friends on the show & really enjoyed the experience. More specifics as soon as I find out.

Jonathan Demme Project: This was recently reported in the New York Times & confirmed by PTA last night. Jonathan Demme & PTA are serving as Executive Producers on Forest Hills Bob a new film written & directed by Robert Downey, Sr. "It's the story of a widower coming to terms with the next chapter in his life," producer Peter Saraf (Ulee's Gold) told New York Times. While the lead hasn't been chosen, expect quirky ensemble casting from the Chelsea-based Clinica Estetico production.

Magnolia DVD : We talked briefly about the DVD & looks like there might be a documentary on making the film that will be included. (This is subject to change).

Boogie Nights DVD : PTA confirmed that this will be a 2 Disc set (Disc 1 for the movie & Disc 2 for the supplementary content). I am not able to release all the info provided at this time but here is the latest features that PTA is working on.

Please remember that things can change quickly & some of these features may change. I will update this info on this page & the Special DVD Page:

This will remain PTA's Theatrical/Director's Cut. All deleted scenes will remain as supplementary material on the 2nd disc.

Wednesday, March 15, 2000

When Oscar put the spotlight on 1999's best Hollywood writing talent, the motion picture academy found itself saluting not just writers, but writers who direct. Of the 10 nominated screenplays, seven are directed by their writers.

By any measure, writer-directors have found a cheering section in the industry.

The most talented new generation of film directors since the '70s is upon us. They won't all last. They won't all leave a great body of work. And they won't all continue making ambitious movies. Which one of them will become the next Scorsese?

I hope you all went out yesterday & picked up the incredible new Magnolia score by Jon Brion. It's great to see this finally released. There's a nice introduction/liner notes by PTA & after hearing this, it just reinforces my original thoughts of how the hell this did not get nominated by the Academy.

PTA & Tom Cruise were among the nominees who attended the annual Oscar luncheon on Monday in Los Angeles as we inch closer to the show on March 26. Here's a picture from the event:

Today I added a piece from Esquire Magazine entitled "The Next Scorsese". Although it's ludicrous to make comparisons, it's fun to see who some of the top film critics selected. There is also an online poll on their site where you can cast your vote. Currently PTA resides in 2nd place behind Wes Anderson.

PTA is also featured prominently in the USA Today Life Section cover story on Oscar nominated writers who direct. I have included the article below.

Finally, Aimee Mann's appearance on Saturday Night Live has been pushed back to a later date & the latest Magnolia Box Office numbers are posted as the number of screens in the U.S. is down to 56.

Dirk's erectile capacity has been badly eroded by his coke intake and he knows at best he only has a 20-minute window of tumescence to exploit before his talent turns once again to, well, to ashes in his hand. But director and father-figure Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds) isn't ready, and there's a big fight that turns nasty. Before long they're being pulled off each other by the crew members as Dirk screams, "You're not the boss of me, Jack! You're not the king of Dirk! I'm the boss of me! I'm the king of me. I'm Dirk Diggler! I'm the star! It's my big dick and I say when we roll!" Anderson is 30 years old. He's made three movies, Hard Eight, Boogie Nights and now Magnolia, each of which has been called a masterpiece. He is routinely heralded as one of the great hopes of the American cinema, someone who got started early and who may have a lifetime of great movies inside him.

Saturday, March 11, 2000

Just some quick revisions to the Events in the PTA Universe calendar. PTA will not be involved with this weekend's Saturday Night Live as previously reported. I have also added tons of new Aimee Mann appearances above as she will be invading your television leading up to the Oscars. She will be performing "Wise Up" on MTV's 120 Minutes this Sunday, then hitting VH1 & Rosie O'Donnell on Thursday, Saturday Night Live next Sunday & Letterman on the 22nd!

Friday, March 10, 2000

Great news today as I have learned more about PTA's involvement at the upcoming 6th Annual From Concept to Sale Conference which is being held at the Bel Age Hotel in Los Angeles on March 17 - 19. PTA will be screening his debut feature, Hard Eight on Friday, March 17th at 7:00 p.m.! If you haven't purchased your tickets to the conference, time is running out. For more info on the event click here.

Tuesday, March 07, 2000

Just a few tidbits today as we get closer to the much anticipated release of Jon Brion's score for Magnolia. I have obtained the tentative track listing for the CD which will be released on March 14, 2000:

Sunday, March 05, 2000

PTA: Because it's the picture of a father and his son and because it's the picture of a star and it's going to draw people to the theater ! (laughs) Because Magnolia is based on the father/son relationship. (Pensive)

And because, like the other characters in the film, the character played by Tom Cruise says "I love you" in his own way, that is by saying "I hate you"?

PTA : Yes, that's exactly what I wanted to hear you say. Frank Mackey feels anger toward his dying father but even when he’s saying he's glad he's dying, these are words filled with love that he’s pronouncing; he doesn't want him to die, no way. What's even more disturbing about Frank is that he's full of contradictions. Here's a kid whose mother dies and whose father abandons. And he'll be mad at his mom until she dies and mad at women in general since he gives seminars on how to seduce and destroy women. There, you feel like saying "hey wait a second !Why aren't you mad at your dad? Why is your mother the mean one? It doesn't make any sense !" That's the kind of mistake we all do in our lives. It's universal. That's what makes the strength of the character played by Tom.

Friday, March 03, 2000

Update : Happy Friday! As you can probably tell, there is a brand new introduction to the site (Thanks to Ryan Worley!), but it has caused havoc with my navigation buttons that normally appear on your left. Please be patient until I get this sorted out and use the links across the bottom of the site to move around.

According to Bumble Ward, Paul's publicist, PTA has been extremely busy helping Fiona kick off her tour and has decided not to travel to Australia and the U.K. to do press for Magnolia. He will be attending the Writers Guild of America Awards this Sunday and will begin working on a script for his next project shortly. And before you ask, no, I don't have any idea what he's working on. We'll just have to be patient and continue to enjoy his first three films.

Facets is reporting that Ghoulardi, the production company established by director Paul Thomas Anderson for his own films, is expanding to develop the works of other filmmakers. Anderson's Ghoulardi partner, producer Joanne Sellar, announced the company is developing a crime picture set in the 18th century and a film about Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson's peculiar relationship with therapist Eugene Landy. (Thanks Jared!)

I have completely revamped the Magnolia Picture Menu and added tons of new promo, Oscar, behind the scenes & posters, so check it out. Lastly, to celebrate another Flashback Friday, I have uploaded a short but interesting interview with Paul that was done by Girls On (a site geared towards women).

I have also added the Magnolia and Boogie Nights DVD's to the calendar above. These dates are tentative and I have created a DVD Page for all the latest news on these releases!

I will be back Sunday, with the PTA section of my Multimedia page (and hopefully functioning navigation buttons!)

(Editor's note: Nick Antosca, a student at Brunswick High School, was accepted to Yale University at age 16. He plans to graduate early, and then study writing and film at Yale. Recently he was given the opportunity to interview one of his favorite screenwriters and directors, Paul Thomas Anderson. That interview follows.)

"Magnolia," writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson's third film after the acclaimed "Boogie Nights" and "Sydney" (studio title "Hard Eight"), opened to nationwide audiences on Jan. 7. It has since earned a Golden Globe for Tom Cruise and Best Film at the Toronto Film Festival among other awards, and three Academy Award nominations including Best Screenplay (Anderson) and Best Supporting Actor (Cruise).

Wednesday, March 01, 2000

I'm back today with a large update and some great news if you are an aspiring screenwriter or live in the L.A. area and want to see Paul Thomas Anderson in person! He will be a featured speaker at the 6th Annual From Concept to Sale Conference where you can rub elbows with PTA, Frank Darabont (Shawshank, Green Mile), Kevin Smith (Chasing Amy, Dogma) & more! The conference will be at the Bel Age Hotel in L.A. from March 17th - 19th. You can go here for all the details and registration information.

In other PTA news, east coast fans will get a rare chance to see Hard Eight (Along with Mamet's House of Games) on the big screen, as it will be featured March 16th at the NEO-NOIR: A selection of 61 35mm films inspired by film noir. The address is Film Forum, 209 W. Houston St., Manhattan, New York. Call (212) 727-8110 or check out their website for more information.

According to a tidbit in NY Magazine, Paul will return to write/direct some additional material for Saturday Night Live on March 11th (Thanks Michael Schneider). Magnolia has received four nominations in the Sixth Annual Chlotrudis Awards (Best Picture, Director, Cinematography (Elswit) & Supporting Actor (Hoffman). Chlotrudis Awards is a non-profit organization that honors, supports and educates about independent and non-mainstream film. This Awards Ceremony will be held on April 8 at the Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, MA. Find more information and vote for this year's Chlotrudis Awards on their website.

Finally, I have added some new content to the Magnolia Page & uploaded Version 1.0 of the Boogie Nights Page of the Multimedia Section. In addition, I have updated the Magnolia Awards Page, Magnolia Box Office Page & new articles and interviews to check out. I'll be back on Flashback Friday!